There is "inadequate" provision to treat obese patients in the NHS, a report suggests.

Experts said the healthcare system must adapt to meet the needs of bulging Britain after the new report found that services to manage obesity are "poorly developed".

Even though the rate of obesity in the UK is among the highest in the world, the health service's response to the problem is "patchy", according to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) report.

Too many doctors and nurses are seriously overweight and setting a bad example to the people they are trying to treat, it said.

About a quarter of UK adults are obese and it is estimated that the majority of Britain's population will be obese by 2050.

The cost of dealing with the problem has been estimated to be £5 billion every year - a figure which will rise alongside the number of obese Britons.

In many patients, their obesity leads to other complications such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, sleep disorders and gynaecological disorders, the authors said. But despite this there are few "joined-up" services for people who are overweight.

The authors recommend a "systematic review" of specialist obesity services.

They said that multi-disciplinary teams made up of physicians, surgeons, nurses and other health professionals must be available to cover severe and complex obesity throughout the UK. And there should be a lead physician for obesity at each hospital, they said.

They have also called for better training for NHS staff and more research into obesity.

The Government should appoint an independent obesity champion to co-ordinate strategy across ministerial departments which could be involved in tackling the epidemic, the authors continued.

They added that education in obesity and nutrition is "inadequately represented" in current medical education, which should be addressed.

It is estimated that 700,000 NHS employees are obese, but only 15% are seen or assessed.

The report said that an audit of London Primary Care Trusts showed that few had policies targeting broad health issues, with workplace health initiatives tending to be reactive and concentrating on recovery after illness rather than actively promoting health and wellbeing.

It wants this to be changed and said doctors and nurses should be given dietary advice and there should be clear targets for reducing obesity among staff.

Professor John Wass, academic vice-president of the RCP, said: "Britain is getting bigger and whilst we try to prevent the increase in obesity, we must also prepare the NHS for the influx of patients presenting with severe complex obesity.

"A patient may arrive at my hospital with coronary heart disease, but if the root cause of their condition is obesity, we must be equipped to deal with that root cause."

Professor Nick Finer, co-author of the report and obesity specialist, said: "We need to see improved leadership on obesity at every level, from the appointment of a lead physician in every trust to the creation of a cross-governmental role."

Professor Lindsey Davies, president of the UK's Faculty of Public Health, said: "The only way we will ever tackle the problems caused by obesity is by everyone working together.

"Obesity is not only caused by how much we each eat or drink: if tackling it were as simple as telling people to eat less and move more, we would have solved it by now.

"Our chances of being obese are also affected by factors like whether we have easy access to affordable fruit, veg and other healthy foods, and if it is safe to let our kids play outside.

"That's why if governments focus on personal choice alone it is, at best, a red herring and, at worst, a dereliction of duty for everyone's health."

"Rather than an over-reliance on the creaking NHS, individuals must take personal responsibility for their own weight."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We are committed to tackling obesity and are taking action to help people keep a healthy weight and prevent them needing hospital care for obesity-related conditions.

"The medical profession has a key role in providing advice and treatment to people who are overweight or obese and the Royal College of Physicians can help its members do this.

"The NHS has a range of programmes in place to encourage weight loss. Surgery should only be considered as a last resort and decisions must be clinically-led."

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20 Supermarket Shopping Tips

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Grocery stores are designed in such a way to have the essential ingredients such as dairy and produce on opposite ends of the store. This forces most shoppers to pass through all the aisles, often times picking up items they don't need. Try to skip the middle of the store and stick to only the items you need.

You might be used to a particular brand of cereal or sugar, but the generic options are usually cheaper. The grocery store brands often use name-brand products with their own labels on it; and they offer it at a better price. Just check the ingredients to be sure you are getting the same product.

While buying toiletries at the supermarket may be easy, you're paying a price for that convenience. Save those items for the pharmacy, where they are usually cheaper.

Since we tend to look at items that are at our eye level, grocery stores know to place the more expensive items on the shelves we see first. When shopping, look at the higher and lower shelves for cheaper items.

Don't buy the pre-made foods such as potato salad at the store, when you can purchase the ingredients and make it for a fraction of the price at home. And it'll taste much better fresh too.

While sometimes we can't avoid shopping with children, it's best to try to buy your groceries when they're not around. Children will often want to buy food items that you don't need, and it isn't always easy to say no.

Just like with pre-packaged lettuce and pre-cut fruit, grated cheese costs you extra for the convenience it brings you. But it's not that hard to grate your own cheese. With a less expensive block of cheese, and a cheap box grater, you can start saving money on this ingredient.

Many of us go to the grocery store after work and before dinner, which is when we start to get hungry. If you buy your groceries when hungry, you'll purchase more than you need. Try to get the shopping out of the way on the weekends, when you can shop on a full stomach.

Almost all supermarkets list the unit price of their items. It's wise to look at these as they make it easy to see which brand really gives you the best deal for your money. This way you can avoid being fooled by overly packaged items with little inside.

Yes, it's convenient to have your lettuce in already-clean-and-trimmed plastic tubs, but it also costs nearly three times the price. If you buy your own head of lettuce, wash and trim it right away, and have it ready to use, you won't even notice the difference (and you'll save quite a few bucks a month).

You might have an incredible memory, making it able to remember everything you need from the supermarket without having to write it down (an admirable and uncommon skill). And while writing a shopping list does help many of us remember what we need to get, more importantly, it keeps us from buying the things we don't need (if we stick to our list).

Many people opt for canned beans because they're too intimidated to cook their own. But making a good pot of beans is really easy. So fear it no longer, and start saving some money by buying the bags of dried beans instead of cans. While the difference in price is not enough to break the bank, these little changes will add up.

If someone is getting paid to do a job that you could easily do yourself at home (like cutting up a mango) you're going to be paying for it.

You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: eat the produce that's in season. Not only will it taste infinitely better, but it will save you serious money. Because it costs them less to produce fruit and veggies that are local and in season, it costs less for you to buy it.

Bottled water is a multi-million pound industry, and it's coming out of your pocket.

Fancy spice mixes can be a biggest waste of money since you can make your own spice mix with seasonings you most likely already have on hand (a large portion of most of the mixes being salt).

You're literally throwing money away by not starting your own herb garden. Fresh herbs cost a small fortune at the grocery store. Often times you can buy an entire plant for less than you can a few sprigs at the supermarket. And while not everyone has space for a garden, most people can fit at least a few pots somewhere in their home.

While experimenting with your cooking is a good idea, it's not always wise to buy those spices at your local grocery store. Taking the time to make a trip to an international market can save you a ton (almost 10 times in savings) on spices and specialty ingredients.

This item is a major culprit of wasting your money. Sometimes you can pay almost double the price just for the convenience of having individual microwaveable bags. But what you're really doing is paying more for inferior popcorn. Save money, pop your own, and enjoy the real flavor of freshly popped corn.